Comments for:

The pricing reminds me of Tenori-ON...something I really wanted but couldn't justify because of the high price. As an engineer myself, it's always exciting to see a product that's so well designed. The graphics for the OS are really brilliant.

18-Aug-11 09:24 AM

Fred67 Said...

Wow. Better sounding than I first thought...!

18-Aug-11 10:20 AM

WalkMount Said...

It seems to have those annoying computing sounds that result in a hi pitched sound when you press the keys, am I right? Did I hera them correctly in the video? Otherwise it's a really good looking device.

19-Aug-11 02:28 AM

Lenore Dane Said...

Why does the author write and punctuate at a 4th-grade level?

19-Aug-11 05:42 AM

Alex Juno Said...

I thought that the OS looked amazing, especially the boxer that comes on the screen when you select the PUNCH effect.

This is truly a piece of imaginative and useful hardware put together in a beautifully small package, if i bought one myself, i'd probably not only use it on-the-go for compositions, but i'd also use some of it's quirky synth sounds live, controlled from a full sized synth.

Brilliant.

19-Aug-11 08:59 AM

I Don't Like Music Said...

Lenore Dane said: "Why does the author write and punctuate at a 4th-grade level?"

Enthusiasm. All good authors know that a compelling story should be told with the breathless urgency of a fourth grader telling you about their day.

19-Aug-11 02:02 PM

Lenore Dane Said...

I -- don't ---think i've seen -- so many --- of these --- and so little -- of these....

19-Aug-11 03:14 PM

xyzzy Said...

This seemed more like a feature overview rather than a review, but thanks as always for the detailed video. :-)

Nick, how did you find the interface? Did it take a lot of getting used to?

I'm not sure I'd enjoy navigating through all those functions without any labels to read. IKEA assembly instructions, anyone? I'm sure this becomes easier with time, but I'm curious what your initial experience was like.

Also: no comments about the character of the synthesis engine(s)? It does rather sound like Amateur Night at the DSP Club, like the Gotharmann deMOON. Not a bad thing at all; I'm just curious what your reaction was.

19-Aug-11 06:02 PM

Oper-8 Said...

@xyzzy : as a happy OP-1 user, I can tell you that the interface/navigation/use is pretty straightforward. You'll need to dig into the manual (available online at TE's site, in the Library section) for advanced tape operation, synth engine details, etc. But it really doesn't take a long time to know what you're doing. And yes, it becomes easier with time :)

19-Aug-11 09:10 PM

Louis F. Said...

Hello Nick,

You are wonderful to share your reviews with us musicians. Many thanks from U.S.A. Louis

20-Aug-11 03:55 AM

Synth_fan Said...

While I accept Nicks points that its cool and desirably; I find it incomprehensible that Teenage Engineering spend all that development money on giving military grade knobs - and no velocity sensing on the keys, or no clock sync. That just about eliminates the device, in every practical way, of interfacing live with the rest of the studio or live setup in any meaningful way.

Furthermore, while it is I accept tan intriguing little device, there as iPad apps costing one hundredth the price, sounding arguably better (accepted you have to buy an iPad).

I'm sure this will sell relatively well because of its desirability - but those design oversights - and others (such as the button keys), poor memory, a measly 4 tracks suggest to me that Teenage Engineering are not even thinking like musicians - they are very clever design engineers, but they are NOT musicians.

This is a rich kid's toy with enough desirability for a niche market among some synth lovers; but it is not a serious musical making device; and those design oversights or poor decisions would worry me - both for trying to using it now and for the prospect of any serious upgrading.

Finally - the price is frankly outreagous. I would not be surprised to see a version of this repackages for about $150 in a year or two.

21-Aug-11 10:55 AM

Benedict Johnson Said...

These days I'm caught by surprise every time I watch an internet video and don't have to sit through an ad. Excellent

From what you've shown us, it sounds great but I can't figure out what it's for or who would use it. Making tracks while you're out and about? Without MIDI editing, the limitation of the keyboard would get to me (but I'd still love one too!).

I'd rather pay twice the price and have full-track-making features. (Oh wait.. laptop.)

I'm hope this isn't the last we'll see of Teenage Engineering :)

21-Aug-11 11:29 AM

FatGuysSays Said...

That is one well designed toy. It seems people will ignore the retarded limitations as long as it looks great. Waste of money.

22-Aug-11 06:11 PM

Psymon Said...

You know what would be great? If you could plug a USB-memory in it and export song directly to that and not have to go via a computer. That way you could make tons of song sketches and save all as long as you brought an usb memory. =)

23-Aug-11 04:07 PM

GNeuman Said...

When I first saw this and the price attached I thought it was an April Fool's joke but two factors negated this observation;

1) It wasn't April

2) The Swedes are not renowned for their sense of humour

Then I thought, surely there was a typo with where the decimal point was placed on the price tag? Surely they meant 7.99Euros and not 799Euros??

But no, alas, it was a pukka review............

Consequently, I am totally bemused as to why anyone would fork out such serious dosh for this FisherPrice/Casiotone lookalikey/soundalikey....

If the sound engine had been something extraordinary then I would not be so harsh, but sorry this synth is SERIOUSLY underwhelming in the sound department..

Talk about Design Over Function; another overated Scandanavian designer of musical equipment also springs to mind, not mentioning any names but sounds like "P & O"

31-Aug-11 06:45 AM

Sam Said...

So I just bought one of these used today. The verdict: AWESOME! Sure, even used it was ridiculously expensive, but if you factor in the build quality of, say, a Korg ESX-1 (horrible) or an Akai MPC (there's a reason mpcstuff.com exists) you'll understand why supporting a weird little company like Teenage Engineering is acceptable. I started out with cassette 4-tracks and drum machines without velocity-sensitive pads (I've been gigging on and off and making sub-par bedroom recordings for over 25 years). The cool thing about the OP-1 is that it forces you to focus on creating music rather than burying yourself in endless parameter tweaks. My only wish is that I could figure out how to create mute groups on the hi-hats!